Indo-Pak armies pledge to 2003 ceasefire pact
‘No ceasefire violations from now on: Pak, India DGMOs agree on hotline contact’
New Delhi/Islamabad, May 29: Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan today agreed to “fully implement” the ceasefire pact of 2003 in “letter and spirit” forthwith to stop cross border firings in Jammu and Kashmir.
The two military commanders reviewed the prevailing situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in J and K during a conversation over the hotline at 6 PM, the Indian Army said.
The special hotline contact was initiated by the Pakistani DGMO.
Following the conversation between Indian DGMO Lt Gen Anil Chauhan and Pakistan’s Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the two armies issued identical statements saying both sides agreed to fully implement the 15-year-old ceasefire understanding.
“Both the DGMOs agreed to fully implement the Ceasefire Understanding of 2003 in letter and spirit forthwith and to ensure that henceforth the ceasefire will not be violated by both sides,” the Indian Army said.
The Pakistan Army, in a statement, said both the DGMOs agreed to undertake sincere measures to improve the existing situation to ensure peace and avoidance of hardships to the civilians along the borders.
“Both DGMOs reviewed the prevailing situation along the Line of Control and Working Boundary and mutually agreed to undertake sincere measures to improve the existing situation ensuring peace and avoidance of hardships to the civilians along the borders,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement.
The LoC has been witnessing increasing hostilities in the last few months.
“It was also mutually agreed that in case of any issue, restraint will be exercised and the matter will be resolved through utilisation of existing mechanisms of hotline contacts and Border Flag Meetings at Local Commanders’ Level,” the Indian Army statement said.
It said the Indian Army DGMO agreed with the proposal to undertake sincere measures to improve the existing situation to ensure peace and avoidance of hardships to the civilians along the borders.
Temporary suspension of Ops not ceasefire: Rajnath Singh
New Delhi, May 29: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said a total of 619 militants in Jammu and Kashmir had been killed in gun-battles with government forces as he highlighted the “all-round improvement” in internal and external security under the Narendra Modi government.
He also clarified that the operations against militants had not been stopped during the holy month of Ramazan but had just been suspended.
“It is not ceasefire but a temporary suspension of operations,” he said, adding that the army is free to respond to any attack.
Addressing media persons here, the senior BJP leader said the number of militants killed in the previous UPA-II government was 471.
“There has been no compromise on the unity and integrity of the nation and we are proactively pursuing operations against the militant groups and subversive elements,” Singh added, but did not respond to a query on how many security personnel were killed in this period.
He however said that respecting the “supreme sacrifice” of the security personnel in the line of duty for the nation, the Union Government had scaled the ex-gratia sum from Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore for their families.
Temporary suspension of Ops not ceasefire: Rajnath Singh
